What are you?
by Shade Burrfoot
Summary: Melyanna was found and raised by the dwarves of the Lonely Mt. that is great, but there is only one problem....no one can figure out what race she hails from!! Watch her as she joins the Fellowship, both running and looking for her heritage.
1. The beginning a precise if not too imagi...

What are you?  
  
Disclaimer: Nope.  
  
A/N: Hey this is something that I have been wondering for a long time, are there any Orc females? Are they like Trolls, who's men are hideous to look upon but their woman are said to be the most beautiful (second only to elves of course ^_^; go Legolas!) So this is a story about one, raised with the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, she is to join the fellow ship. And (my friend told me to put this part in to ward off pervs.) this is NOT, I repeat NOT a romance for Gimli, you got it! EW! EW! EW! I need to figure out who she should go for Legolas or Boromir, I need opinions!  
  
Chapter one, The beginning (a precise if not too imaginative name)  
  
**A long time ago in the tunnels of the Lonely Mountain, after the Hobbit, but before LOTR.**  
  
"Father, what was that noise?" A young Gimli asked as his father and him walked through the tunnels to begin his teachings in stone carving.  
  
"I don't know, it sounded like a wail." Gloin said looking curiously at the tunnel bend they where coming up on.  
  
"Maybe someones' caught in the tunnels!" Gimli was full of the childhood lust for adventure.  
  
Gloin chuckled at his son's overactive imagination, it was probably just the wind, if it continued, he'd investigate to humor his son. Unfortunately as they walked further into the tunnels the louder the wail became, and it sounded as though someone indeed was caught in the tunnels. He began to quicken his pace to a light trot; Gimli followed in suit with his father, taking two steppes for each of his fathers. Then they reached the bend in the tunnel and as soon as they came around they saw what was the source of the wailing, a bundle of rags sat in the middle of the path, squirming a little in its tight cocoon, what ever it was tried to free itself.  
  
"What the blazes, it's a child!" Gloin ran forward and scooped the bundle of rags. Gimli ran forward and looked up eagerly at the bundle his father now held.  
  
"What is it?" Gimli asked trying his best to see.  
  
"It's a child, a baby girl, but I don't know what she is. Her skin has a slight grey tint to it, like stone. Her ears are pointed but not so much as the elves. Her eyes are almond shaped like elves but they are violet, and her hair is black, and no elf alive has ever has ever had violet eyes." He looked down at the child he now held; she had stopped crying and was looking up at him with a yawn she promptly fell asleep.  
  
"Where did she come from?" Gimli was full of questions just like his father.  
  
"I don't know." He took a deep breath and began shouting. "Hello, is anyone out there? Hello! Anyone?" The only answer he got was his voice reverberating off of the walls. "We will wait here for awhile and see if anyone comes back to claim her."  
  
And so they waited for hours, then they ate lunch and waited some more, until Gimli finally lost his patience and said exasperatedly, "I don't think any ones coming."  
  
"Aye, you maybe right, well take her back to our home."  
  
**A few hours later.**  
  
Gloin and Gimli neared their home, it was built into the face of the huge cavern and was a stone version of a three story house, they saw Gimli's mother and Gloin's wife, Bomba, stick her head out of the window.  
  
"I say, what are you two doing home so earlier?" She hustled out of the door she was clutching her wooden spoon like a dagger, "If it is because you two ate your lunches too early again and are still hungry, well then your going to get a piece of my mind to chew on!" She put her hands on her hips and stared in a no-nonsense fashion at her approaching husband, and son.  
  
"Yes dear we have eaten our lunches a bit too soon," He paused hefting the baby a bit, then he quickly finished as he saw Bomba raise the spoon as if to throw it, "but we found a chi.....a something and decided to come home early."  
  
Bomba walked forward to meet them, "And what did you find? If it is another bat I'll have your head, you can't keep them as pets, they are wild animals." She looked meaningfully at Gimli.  
  
"No mother its' not a bat." Gimli whined it had only happened twice couldn't she let it be.  
  
"Well then what is it?"  
  
"This." Gloin said and uncovered the bundle, to revile the girl, still sleeping.  
  
"Oh my word! Where did you find her!" Bomba looked down at the child, with amazement.  
  
"We found her lying in the middle of one of the tunnels. We waited for five hours and called ourselves hoarse, but no one came, so we decided it would be best to bring her back here." Gloin said.  
  
"Well lets have a look." She held out her arms and Gloin handed her the child. Bomba rocked her gently back and forth, and looked down at her, the child woke up and yawned. "Well theres a sweet one for you. What should we do with her?"  
  
Gloin fingered his beard and wondered. "We should keep her for a few days, and send a search party through the tunnels."  
  
"But the tunnels are huge theres no way a search party could hope to find anything!" She said matter-of-factly.  
  
"We've got to try, I'll go and consult the Dain (He's the King under the Mountain don't you know.) about this, he owes me a favor." And with that he turned on his heel and walked toward the King's chamber.  
  
**A few days later.**  
  
"Still nothing!" Gloin said angrily as he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, "This girl could not have come from nowhere." He sat down exasperatedly.  
  
Gimli was sitting on the floor rolling a small ball back and forth with the girl. "Maybe she came out of the stone." He said, trying to give some explanation to the situation.  
  
"I'm beginning to think that." He muttered back.  
  
Suddenly the girl crawled froward and said very clearly, "No."  
  
"Huh? What did you say girl?"  
  
"No."  
  
"So she can talk." Gloin looked down at the girl and picked her up onto his knee.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you a question. What should we name her? We can't go around calling her girl and her forever." Bomba said coming through the kitchen archway.  
  
"I haven't really given it much thought." Gloin said surprised at himself. "Dain said when I told him about this that if we should find no one to claim the child, that we should raise her. Have you thought of a name?"  
  
"Yes I have, I think Melyanna would be a good name." (A/N: Melyanna means dear gift, in one of Tolkien's elven languages I can't remember which though.)  
  
"An elven name? Why can't it be a dwarven name?"  
  
"Because she's not dwarven."  
  
"Well she's not elven either." Gloin was fighting a losing battle.  
  
"She looks enough to be elven, and that what we are going to call her!" Bomba said and that was that.  
  
"All right, all right." Gloin said sighing, "Melyanna it is then. Gimli come here son."  
  
Gimli got up and walked over to his father, "Yes sir?"  
  
"We cannot find this child's parents. So we are going to raise her."  
  
"All right?"  
  
"That means you have a younger sister to look out for now. And that's exactly what you are going to do."  
  
"Yes sir." Gimli said proud that he was given this responsibility. "Little sister Melyanna."  
  
**A many years later, when the dwarves received word that they where to attend Elrod's council for the Ring.**  
  
"I'll go and load the my horse and your ponies." Melyanna said coming out through the doorway.  
  
"You do that lass." One of the dwarves called out to her.  
  
Melyanna had been raised by Bomba and Gloin and protected by her older brother Gimli, when she had been old enough to understand she was told about how she was found, and how none of the dwarves could quite figure out what she was. This was understandable because she had jet-black hair it was dull and unoiled. It gave off no sheen in the light, no gleam to the eye. It drank up the light and diminished it: it was pure shadow. Her eyes where almond shaped and violet, with more color to them then the flower. Her ears where pointed slightly at the tips, not nearly as much as the elves. In all truth she could have been an elf at first glance she was just as beautiful, but on a second glance you could tell she wasn't because of her skin, it was not tan or pail but tinged with grey, just like stone. And she was known around the Lonely Mountain for her crooked pointed smile, because her canine teeth were slightly longer than a normal person's was and pointed. Her fingernails were like claws. She seemed to be the perfect lady, but she wasn't she refused point blank to where a dress. And she'd blacken anyones eye how said it was strange. She could out fight and out run almost anyone. She was well muscled from years of working in the mines and training with her daggers, of which she had two that she kept strapped at all times to her waist. She could use a sword nearly as well but found it too slow to bother with, so she kept a short sword instead but she could always make up for its size with her speed. She was going with them to this council in the hopes that she could discover something of what she was, and maybe for a little adventure.  
  
She began to groom her horse, the only horse in all of the Lonely Mountain, she had bought him from Lake Town a few years earlier. His name was Dagor, which means battle. She went from her horse to the ponies that belonged to the dwarves she was traveling with Gimli and Gloin were among them.  
  
"There are going to be men there and elves! Can you believe it Dagor? I mean the men of Lake Town are nice enough but I've only been down there a few times. This is going from two to twenty. I can't wait!" Melyanna was excited, she couldn't wait to leave.  
  
Her horse nickered and nipped at her elbow as she was grooming one of the ponies as if in reminder of Gimli's stern waring after he had told her the news.  
  
"Yes, yes boy, I remember exactly what he said, 'Now you listen to me girl, there are going to be men there and they are not to be trusted.' Then I said 'what about the elves?' 'Them too!' and then he got all worked up and started to sharpen his axe. I'm a little afraid for the first guy who says hi to me."  
  
After she was finished grooming them she strapped on their saddles and began to load the bags, then she heard a rustle of small stones falling and turned to look at the small ledge from where they came. An Orc sat at the top of the small ledge not five feet above her. She pulled out her daggers, and crouched into a defensive stance. The Orc though did not look at all as though he was going to attack her; he jumped from the ledge and looked at her in wonder.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked glancing about, "Have they got you prisoner of something? Made you a slave have they?"  
  
"I don't know what you mean Orc." She said gripping her dagger a bit more and wishing with all her might that she had learned to throw them better.  
  
The Orc looked puzzled, "Why do you say the name Orc with such disgust you sound almost like one of them." He said 'them' in general regard to all man, elf, and dwarf kind.  
  
She just looked at him as if he had just babbled on like a drunk.  
  
"Don't you know what you are?"  
  
"No."  
  
The Orc began to cackle "Your, an Orcess my dear, there are only one of you for every thousand Orc. What are you doing here, we have to get you back to the others." He began to reach for her arm, to pull her forward.  
  
"I'm no Orcess!" Her grip loosened a little and she backed up.  
  
"Oh yes you are my dear, why do think you hair and skin are that color."  
  
She couldn't think of anything, Gloin had joked many times that she had just popped out of the stone. "Skin condition?" She said sheepishly.  
  
"Skin condition she says! That is funny an Orcess without her heritage! Won't the boys laugh when they see you, think you're an elf do ya', well what about them pointed teeth?" He was almost doubled over with laughter.  
  
"You've gone mad if you think you'll get two feet with me, I'll slit your throat from ear to ear, before you can continue that laughing." She brought up her dagger slowly, still shocked at the new information she had been force fed, what had brought this Orc here? They where never this close to the Lonely Mountain, did it have something to do with the Ring? She couldn't be an....Orcess, she couldn't be. It didn't make sense, or did it, her skin did resemble the Orcs and so did her hair. It made sense, and that  
  
scared her. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the front gate opening, she looked up and the Orc was gone.  
  
"Ho! Lass you finished with them horses?" Gloin called as he rounded the corner. (A/N: I have no idea if Gloin was with the dwarves that attended the council, so I'm just making them up as I go.)  
  
She turned around to face them and moved some of the stray strands of hair out of her face. She couldn't tell them, not yet."Of course, what do you think I've been doing out here?"  
  
"All right, all right, no need to get angry, you know you always were one to daydream."  
  
"I know." She said exasperatedly.  
  
Gimli walked over to his pony and strapped one of his axes to its side. "What is the matter with you Mel? You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
Melyanna shrugged, "I saw you coming out, and realized that you won't be drinking any dwarf spirits for awhile, you always get angry when you haven't had at lest two of them a day. And you know how weak that elvish stuff is, you'll have cleaned out their hole wine cellar before you've quenched a nickel of that famous thirst of yours."  
  
Gimli looked up as if he had been struck by lightning, "Great hammer and nails your right! I'll bring a flask." He started to walk up the steps. "Do you want one to, you know as well as I do that you can out drink any normal person."  
  
Melyanna put her hands on her hips and imitated Bomba, "What kind of girl would I be if I turned down some good ol' Lonely Mountain dwarf spirits?"  
  
Gloin raised his fist in admiration, "Puts hair on your chin."  
  
"I think I pass on that effect." Mel said fingering her smooth chin.  
  
Gimli laughed and began to count on his figures he ticked off three and stopped, "All right that'll be three then?"  
  
"Here here!" Gloin and Melyanna yelled.  
  
A/N: Well what do you think? I think I'm doing well. Bye the bye, dwarf spirits is an extremely strong alcohol. Next up traveling and the council, stay tuned. REVIEW, please. 


	2. Many meetings

What are you?  
  
Disclaimer: (Sung to Wal-Marts roll back song.) Working on the disclaimer, lawsuits goin' down, down. Look another goes down.  
  
A/N: Welp, I think I'm doing good.. I beet the game Kingdom Hearts!! I would like to thank caffeine for this a new record of 28 hours, 47 minutes and 32 seconds. And I would also love to say I love that song Simple and Clean it is the best!  
  
Chapter two, Many meetings.  
  
"I should have brought more dwarf spirits." Gimli grumbled for the thousandth time. They were trudging along and where about four hours from Rivendell. Gimli had been in bad spirits ever since the dwarf spirits had run out the previous day. Melyanna had told him to save it but his head was harder than the stone of the Lonely Mountain and had, of course not listened to her. She however had more than half of her flask left. Mel urged her horse forward at came back into a trot beside Gimli.  
  
"It doesn't do any good to lock up the barn once the horses are out."  
  
"I hate that saying."  
  
"I know. So what's Rivendell like, Pop?" she asked Gloin.  
  
Gloin shrugged, "Its nothing special, just a bunch of trees and some elves, and a lot of singing! I'm beginning to think that's all they do-well, that and drink weak wine."  
  
"That's dwarven standards." Mel sighed, "What about my standards?" She wanted say Orcess standards, but she still didn't want to tell them. For the first time in her life she thought she could say that she belonged to a race, but she still wasn't sure if the Orc was speaking the truth.  
  
"Your standards!" Gloin snorted. "Your too young to have standards."  
  
"Oh, don't start that again I'm only a few..well, I'm a lot younger then Gimli but that's not the point, I'm still, by dwarven standards a mature woman."  
  
"Mature! I've seen children more mature than you." Gimli said.  
  
"Is this lets-see-how-far-we-can-push-Melyanna day?"  
  
"You got it lass." **A few hours later*  
  
Mel bounced in her saddle, craning her neck to see, "We are almost there! I can almost see it."  
  
Gimli threw a small rock that he had picked up just for this. "Sit down we have to keep up appearances."  
  
"Oh that's right, the grumpy, I wouldn't be here if the fate of Middle Earth didn't hang in the balance dramatic entrance face." She tried her best to look like the dwarves but couldn't help but have a small smile on her face.  
  
They rode about a mile further when they came to Rivendell. It was beautiful. The whole place was a beautiful forests with statues every where. There was a waterfall that provided the mood. And Rivendell its self was like a mirage, like if you looked away even for a second it would disappear. As they rode forward she noticed the elves, she wouldn't have noticed them if she hadn't concentrated, they were as much of the land as the statues of their fore fathers.  
  
"Welcome to Rivendell!" One of the elves called up happily. "Noble dwarves and...." the elf looked at Melyanna closely, he took in her whole image and blushed a little at his foolishness.  
  
"Noble lady." Mel offered.  
  
"Um-er-yes noble lady." He scampered off melting into the trees.  
  
"Elves!" Gimli growled.  
  
"Are not so bad, master dwarf." An elf finished, he was tall, and like all elves very handsome. He had long blond hair that was bored straight, he also had green eyes. Mel laughed at the expression of shock that had come over Gimli's face.  
  
A voice from out of the trees that was the same voice of the elf that announced them said, "Welcome to Rivendell, Legolas prince of Mirkwood, son of Thanduil."  
  
"Gimli, Melyanna, we will see you later. We are going to take our ponies to the stables." Gloin and the other dwarves pulled on their reins and took off.  
  
"I'll be right with you. Dagor needs to be brushed." She called after them.  
  
Legolas stepped forward. "You have arrived a bit early the council is not to take place for another day."  
  
"Just my luck." Gimli huffed as he climbed off his pony.  
  
"Come on brother! Where is your sense of fun?" Melyanna asked getting off of Dagor.  
  
"Brother?" Legolas asked. "If you'll excuse me lady you don't look dwarven. Or is there some great secret hiding in the Lonely Mountains, if so I should like to visit."  
  
Gimli made a point to heft his axe that was strapped across his back with a grunt.  
  
"No, I'm a foundling, I've been raised by the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. More specifically, Gloin, Bomba and Gimli. Don't feel bad, if you'll ask that elf that's hiding behind those trees, he was a bit put off by me too." Mel said laughing.  
  
Legolas glanced up at the trees and herd a small cry of shock. "If you'll excuse me again lady, what race do you hail from?"  
  
"Well," Mel said looking up at the sky and pondering her answer, "why don't you tell me?"  
  
"Pardon?" Legolas asked slightly taken aback.  
  
"We are not sure lad." Gimli said getting a bit grumpy at the whole conversation. "We were hoping that Master Elrod could enlighten us about this."  
  
"Let us hope." Mel said looking up at the highest point of Rivedell. She smiled her crooked, pointed smile, her eyes winkling in the sunlight. "Were are the others that have come to attend the council?"  
  
Legolas thought for a second and then said, "The men are over there near the great hall, and the elves have already been here for a few days so, they could be anywhere, and the hobbits are probably raiding the kitchen."  
  
"A fine idea." Gimli put in.  
  
"Hmmm," Mel said out loud, "Well Gimli who do you want to see first?"  
  
"I want to see the wine cellar! We will see these people at the council tomorrow!" Gimli growled. He had sat down and was rummaging in his pack for his empty flask.  
  
"Suit yourself, I'm going to see the men." Mel began to walk in the direction Legolas had pointed.  
  
"The hell you will without me! I don't trust men." Gimli got up and put his empty flask in his belt. "But first let us go put up the animals.  
  
"Fine, fine, Dagor needs to be brushed." Mel said guiding the horse around.  
  
"Um, Lady." Legolas began.  
  
"Melyanna, but you can call me Mel for short."  
  
"Right, Melyanna, may I ask what kind of horse your Dagor is, I have never seen one like him before, he is the biggest one I have ever seen." He was walking along side her, with Gimli and his small pony walking beside him.  
  
"He is a Clydesdale, a rare breed for anywhere in middle earth, even Rohan or so I'm told. I bought him from Brak son of Bard (A/N: Once again just guessing.) He is a fine dealer in horses. He caught this ones mother when she was pregnant with him. I helped with the birth myself, and I help raise him from a colt. It took me along time to even earn half the price of him, and then I had to work in the stables for three years to earn the other half." She paused as they reached the stables. "Brak's stables are located just off shore of Lake Town. I never really went into the village, much."  
  
Another elf came and tried to take the reins from Melyanna, Dagor did not like this at all. He reared back onto two legs.  
  
"Settle down you great beast, settle down!" Mel growled and looked Dagor straight in the eye. "You are going to hurt some one in here." Dagor lowered himself onto two legs and whined a little. "Show off." Mel muttered.  
  
There was a sound of clapping and Mel, Legolas, Gimli and even Dagor turned around.  
  
"Very impressive Lady, very impressive. You handle the horse like you where a member of the Rohan Riders." A tall man was leaning against the door, he heaved himself off of it and walked toward them. He was tall, with long brown, red hair. He had a slight beard and green eyes. His eyes looked as though they were older than any elf, they were the eyes of a man who had seen death and lived to laugh in its face. All that and he was handsome.  
  
"Does every one hear have to come in with such a damn dramatic entrance? You are the second one!" she looked at Legolas questionably. Legolas shrugged and held out his hands in defeat.  
  
"Its the elves, they have that effect on people." Gimli said taking the saddle off of his pony. Mel took the saddle off of Dagor, and walked him into one of the larger pens, because he wouldn't have fit in any of the normal ones. She began to brush him and waited for the new man to leave, when he did not she had no choice but to talk to him.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked this new man.  
  
"My name is Boromir son of Denethor, lady." Boromir said bowing slightly.  
  
"And what is with this lady shit?" She said setting the brush down angrily and went to go and get oats and water for Dagor. "I can assure you that I am no lady."  
  
"Shes right you know, I have never seen men more lady like than she is." Gimli said piping in.  
  
"I know you've seen everything, brother." Mel said slamming the oats down in front of Dagor, who jumped and then began eating. At the confused look on Boromir's face she added quickly. "My name is Melyanna but you can call me Mel for short, I'm a foundling, I've been raised by the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. More specifically, Gloin, Bomba and Gimli. We are not sure what I am so don't ask. And does anyone want a drink?" She pulled out her flask and took a long swing from it.  
  
"Well, that answers all my questions for the next few minutes. But yes, I would like a drink." He took the offered flask, and took a drink, he winced and then handed it to Legolas who sniffed it, took a small swig and also winced.  
  
"How can you drink this dwarven stuff?" Legolas asked, "It is much to bitter."  
  
"Go screw a tree elf boy." Mel took another swig and handed it to a chuckling Gimli who took an even longer swig, and handed it back to her. "It is an acquired taste, plus as Poppa Gloin always says-" Gimli said the last bit with her, "Puts hair on your chin."  
  
Legolas looked aghast and rubbed his own smooth chin, Boromir however felt his small beard and said, "Too late."  
  
Legolas looked around and said, "You have meet the men, and the elves, you came here with the dwarves now all that is left is the hobbits."  
  
"You'll like them." Gimli said, "If you'll remember the stories that Father always told us about the adventures of Mr. Bilbo and him."  
  
"Yes I remember, I'd very much like to meet him, he is here isn't he?"  
  
"Bilbo, yes he is here." Legolas said, "I meet with him myself not an hour before this."  
  
"Great can you show us where he is?"  
  
"Of course." Legolas said and lead the way.  
  
They came to a lovely place in the middle of a garden, there was a bench and sitting on and around the bench there where hobbits. Suddenly the one sitting on the bench the oldest by far looked up and said, "Ah, Legolas it nice to see you again, and who have you brought with you?"  
  
"Gimli son of Gloin." Gimli said.  
  
"So you are Gloin's son, I knew him when I was much younger, he was a very nice dwarf, is he here?" Bilbo asked smiling.  
  
"Yes, sir he is." Gimli answered.  
  
"I am Melyanna of the Lonely Mountain, Mel for short. I was found and raised by Gloin and Bomba, with Gimli." Mel said.  
  
"I am Boromir son of Denethor." Boromir said.  
  
"Very nice to meet you all." Bilbo said, he looked around for a moment before saying to the hobbits. "Well what are you young hobbit waiting for introduce yourselves!"  
  
"Oh sorry." One said getting up. "My name is Pippin and this is Merry." He said gesturing to another hobbit who waved.  
  
"My name," said another, "Is Samwise Gamgee."  
  
"And mine is Frodo Bagginns." Said the last.  
  
"Well hello all, nice to meet you I am sure." Mel said. Suddenly there came a sound of footsteps a group of elevn handmaidens came forward bustling about they saw Melyanna and curtseyed.  
  
One of them stepped forward, "Hello Mistress Melyanna, we have been informed by you guardian that you are to be fitted for a dress."  
  
All the color drained from Melyanna's face and she looked at the elf with a murderous glint to her eyes "I am going to kill that bastard of a dwarf!"  
  
Gimli was roaring with laughter, "My lady elf you have no idea the perilous task you have been give."  
  
"We were well warned, and were informed to take her, if the need arise, by force." All eight of the elves began to get closer to Melyanna.  
  
"You'll have to catch me first!" Mel gave a loud war cry and took off into the trees running as if she had a pack of wolves behind her and not just some harmless elevn handmaidens.  
  
Mel ran threw the courtyard and saw Gloin walking with Gandalf and what looked like Lord Elrod. She knew it was Gandalf because he had come to the Lonley Mountain once or twice. She raced past them and looked over her shoulder. "I am going to kill you Gloin!" She yelled, "Good evening Gandalf!" And them she was running full speed again.  
  
Gandalf looked at Gloin, "Was that Melyanna?"  
  
Gloin looked as if he were about to burst with laughter but was trying (and failing) to keep it back. "Yes, I had given the order for one of the tailors to fit her for a dress."  
  
"So you sent a small party of handmaidens to fetch her?" Elrod asked lifting one of his eye brows.',=^( (A/N: Look it is an Elrod face, he he he!)  
  
"She's hard to catch." Gimli sighed, "She hates dresses."  
  
"So I gathered." Elrod said looking in the direction the girl had run off to. "And you brought her here in the hopes that I or Gandalf would be able to identify her race."  
  
"That was the plan."  
  
They walked a little bit more bin silence fore Elrod stopped. "So be it, bring her to me before the council tomorrow."  
  
**Some where else a little while later.**  
  
Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, and the hobbits Merry and Pippin had gone for a walk. They had walked all around the gardens and where now considering getting Melyanna so they could all eat. They had stopped in front of two pillars that where a little shorter than feet. They extended a little taller that the roof, and where right beside it.  
  
"Where do you think she is?" Pippin asked sitting down beside one of the pillars.  
  
"Probably still running." Gimli sifted most of his weight onto his axe.  
  
"I think your right, or my eyes deceive me." Legolas pointed towards the horizon and sure enough Melyanna came running over it. She reached them in seconds and then doubled over gasping for breath.  
  
"They-They caught me for a minute" She gasped and sucked in air, "But I escaped and now they are after me again!"  
  
"Mistress Melyanna, this is most unlady like, please get back here." A voice called from the horizon.  
  
"Damn they don't give up. Tell me when the cost is clear!" She placed her feet on one part of the pillar and her back to the other, then she preceded to walk up it. When she reached to top she jumped onto thee roof, climbed up it and hung over the other side so you could only see her fingers if you looked closely.  
  
The elven maidens came clamoring up to them just as she had slung herself over the side. "Where did mistress Melyanna go?" One elf asked. They all pointed in different directions, the elf huffed and they all split up. As soon as they, where all out of sight Boromir called up, "All is clear!"  
  
"Thanks." She said and started to climb down. "They are starting to scare me."  
  
"Scare you? Your scaring me!" Legolas exclaimed, "Why don't you just where to dress?"  
  
"It goes against my morals." Melyanna said, walking in the opposite direction, "I'm no damsel in distress, do you know how hard it is to where a dress and fight or run even remotely fast?"  
  
"No, I can't say I can." Legolas stuttered.  
  
"Then why don't you try, those ladies are hell bent on making someone a dress." She said, and walked away to find Gloin so she could strangle him.  
  
A/N: What do you think? REVIEW!!! 


	3. A little talk with Elrod

What are you?  
  
Disclaimer: I plead the fifth!!  
  
A/N: Ok thanks to Jelend for reviewing thanks for keeping up with both my LOTR stories! Elven Mischief, every one read her story! Children of the Rings! It's only got one chapter but so far so good! Anonymous for thinking this story is not as Mary-Sue-ish as s/he thought it would be. Now on with the story, Ah Vey Caesar, salùtes es moratóriùm. (Latin, not eleven.), and in the famous words of Draco (the dragon), 'That's easy for you to say, this time I'll collect the money and you can die.'  
  
Chapter three, A little talk with Elrod.  
  
"Gloin, at last I've found you, my revenge is near!" Melyanna said scrambling from out of a bush, twigs and leaves where decorating her hair, she bared her teeth and stalked towards the dwarf, throwing her arms out and showing here claws, she looked positively animalistic.  
  
"And you couldn't have found me at a better time lass, I've been looking all over for you." He said turning around to face her. The sun had just set and he had to squint slightly to see her, he was not as young as he used to be. "Why you're a sight! You look like a feral cat, get some of the mulch out of you hair Melyanna we are trying to impress the elves not drive them away."  
  
Mel began to pick the larger twigs out of her hair, "Yeah well, so, your not the only one looking for me so was that band of devils you sent after me."  
  
"Devils!" the dwarf snorted, "You'll be facing worse in the days to come."  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked pausing from her grooming.  
  
"Call it father's intuition, I don't like the mood of this coming council." Gloin looked to the west and watched the sun set for a moment. "Ah, but enough of that, we must go and speak with Elrod."  
  
"What for?" She asked warily stepping back a bit, as if he were about to set forth a hundred elven handmaidens on her.  
  
"The reason we came here! Sometime I think your head is as hard as the rock you came from. Now come on." He sighed and walked towards Elrod's chambers. Melyanna hesitated, she knew, or thought she knew what she was, but how would Elrod take it, he was an elf and she was surrounded by elves and they hated Orcs. But did that mean that they would hate an Orcess, had anyone ever even met and Orcess? She shook her head and followed Gloin.  
  
Unfortunately they had to pass the kitchens and in so doing they passed Merry and Pippin, who where currently raiding it.  
  
"Hey look Pip, it's that, that Melyanna girl?" Merry said looking up from a sack of apples.  
  
"Why so it is Merry." Pippin said while filling a small bag with various foodstuffs. "What's she doing going into Elrod's chambers with that dwarf Gloin?"  
  
"I dunno." Merry answered, then suddenly a mischievous glint came into his eye. "Wanna find out?"  
  
"Sure." Pippin said and tied the bag then followed Merry.  
  
**In Elrod's Chambers**  
  
"So this is Melyanna. The girl with no race?" Elrod said walking around the girl taking in her whole appearance, not for his personal reasons of course, he just needed to take in all her features and sort them into a race category. (A/N: I always Elrod was a perv. ;-)  
  
"Yes, that's me." Mel said never taking her eyes off of Elrod.  
  
"Will you hold out your hands." Elrod said not asked.  
  
"Of course." she held out her hands to reveal her claws.  
  
"Are those sharp?" Elrod asked examining them.  
  
"Razor." She replied casually. "I have to be careful not to cut myself a lot."  
  
"Now Melyanna you know they are not that sharp." Gloin put in bluntly.  
  
"Argh! Pop, you ruined my dramatic aire!" Mel said frowning.  
  
"You can have your dramatic aire when I'm not around."  
  
"Oh come on! You got that dramatic entrance but I can't have a dramatic aire?"  
  
"No." Gloin finished crossing his arms and narrowing his eyebrows telling Melyanna in no uncertain terms that this argument was finished.  
  
"Fine!" Mel huffed. Elrod had watched the whole proceeding with a mild amusement, smiling a little at the thought of the dwarves 'dramatic entrance.' He ahemed rather loudly bring their attention back to the matter at hand.  
  
"Now if you don't mind Melyanna, how are you senses?" Elrod looked at her ears, they were slightly smaller than elves but a little bigger than hobbits.  
  
"Well," Mel said thinking. "My sight is good, but no better than a mans. My sense of hearing is good, better than most. Good enough that I can hear the two small beings outside your cracked door. But my sense of smell, now that is excellent. So good in fact that I can tell that they are carrying a bag filled with," She sniffed the air. "apples, mushrooms and a loaf of honey nut bread." She finished, and as she did Gloin snatched opened the door so quickly that the two hobbits out side of it, fell to the floor in a heap. Pippin looked up, and shoved Merry's foot out of his face.  
  
"I say Merry she is good, that is what I have in my bag, except for the apples, I don't have that. But now that I think about it I should have gotten some." Pippin said pulling out his bag after untangling himself.  
  
"No, Pip, I've got the apples in my pockets." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two, he tossed one to Pippin. "I'd knew you'd forget them."  
  
"Thank you two for providing a demonstration, for me." Mel said. "But what are you doing here?"  
  
"We came here to find out what you where doing." Merry said. "So now that we are here, would you mind telling us what you are doing?"  
  
"We are trying to find out Melyanna's race." Gloin said, "We haven't been able to figure out anything do far, do you have anything to put in?"  
  
Elord looked up, "Yes your minds are innocent and unclouded you should be able to think more clearly than us."  
  
"Really, that is something." Pippin and Merry circled Melyanna also taking in her whole appearance. By this time Mel was getting a bit tried of every one looking at her, then suddenly a light came into Pippin's eyes.  
  
"Hey Mel could you look like you where going to attack someone? I think I've got something but I'm not sure."  
  
"Ok." Mel said taking a breath. She hunched down a little, and bared her teeth in a silent snarl, she threw her arms out wide and flexed her claws slightly, ready to swipe at this invisible enemy, her legs spread out a little widening her stance so that her weight was equally distributed. "This fine?"  
  
"I've got it!" Merry snapped his fingers. "You got it Pip?"  
  
"Yes Merry I think I do. She looks like an Orc! But there are no Orc females, are there?" Pippin looked at Elrod but his answer came from Mel.  
  
"Actually, there are, an Orcess. There is one for every thousand Orc, at lest that is what one Orc told me." She resumed her normal stance.  
  
"WHAT?!?" Gloin roared. "An Orc told you when did you talk with an Orc." He was livid he looked like he was about to tear off her head.  
  
"It was when we where just leaving for the council, when I was grooming Dagor and the other ponies, remember?" She said solemnly looking at Elrod. "Was he right Elrod or was he just tormenting me?"  
  
"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" Elrod asked.  
  
"Of course." She recounted everything the Orc had told her. When she had finished Gloin looked a little less angry and Elrod looked thoughtful.  
  
"Yes there are several accounts of Orcess in our library's archive, but no one here could ever say that they have seen one until now." Elrod walked towards a book on his table. "I had been studying Orcs lately because of the up and coming battle, there is something in here from Sindar an elven bard." He flipped through the many pages of the book until he found what he was looking for and then he recited it. "'And then I saw her she was marching among their ranks as cool as the wind wafting through the trees on this hot summer's eve. Her hair was a shadow that moved with the breeze rather than the light and her skin a grey to rival that of the very stone, at first I thought she might be a captive. But then I noticed that she was not bound in any way, but seemed to move about freely, the Yrch (A/N: That is elvish for Orc.) seemed to stay a respectable distance from her almost reverently. She is similar to them yet different, if there can be I think she could be the female of their species. Since the Yrch were once elves but they held none of the elven beauty, it would still make sense that the females would still hold their elven resemblance since no darkness could ever dampen our light.'" He shut the book with a snap.  
  
"Ok so then it is true I am an Orcess." Mel said with a sigh, "Will I share their blood lust?"  
  
"Do you share it now?" Elrod asked his eyebrow lifting ( ',=^( (Elrod)  
  
"No, not that I can think of, it is true that I do love the rush of battle, but no more than any trained warrior." She said favoring him with her crooked fanged smile. "Must the way I was raised, she clapped Gloin on the back.  
  
"I tried to raise you as my own son-er daughter." He said rubbing his arm in slight embarrassment, but beaming none the less, "and I am still as proud of you."  
  
"Well we will be going then we have to find a good hidin-um, a good picnic spot for tomorrow." Pippin said and dashed away, Merry quickly followed him.  
  
"We all need rest for tomorrow." Elrod said rising from his chair, he watched Pippin and Merry rush out of the door. "Gloin I trust I will see you and Melyanna at the council tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course Lord Elrod." Gloin said bowing he walked out of the door.  
  
"Lord Elrod, I thank you for your information but may I ask you a question?" Melyanna asked.  
  
"Certainly I see no reason why not."  
  
"Do you hate them, the orcs I mean?" she asked looking in his eyes to see if he was going to lie to her.  
  
"Well, that is a question I've never been able to answer." Elrod said plopping back down into his chair. "You see the way they where created makes you think that all they could do is hate and kill, but now that I have met you it has only confirmed what I have thought all along."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"That is not a natural instinct no, wolves can be domesticated, it not race but how you are raised, you where raised in a family of love and friendship and you turned out all right. After this whole mess is finally over and their masters are destroyed maybe we can bring them back to the elves."  
  
"I think that that is a good plan." She gave him a farewell kiss on the cheek, as was the custom and walked off to sleep.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long, I always wondered what would happen to the orcs after everything, the book never really explained it. Once again I have two votes that she should fall for Boromir and none for Legolas, I'm going to start the relationship with in the next two chapters so please tell me what you think. 


	4. The Council

What are you?  
  
Disclaimer: Why oh why do I have to say that I don't own LOTR?  
  
A/N: Well the votes are in its Melyanna and dear old Bory! Unfortunately it won't last sad to say but no (J.R.R Tolkien: FORESHADOWING!) So the next big question is where should she go with Frodo or the rest of the 'gang'? I need some opinions.  
  
Chapter four, The Council.  
  
After she left Elrond's chambers Melyanna went straight to her own and fell into a deep sleep, full of dreams and nightmares from which should couldn't wake, an invisible hand grabbing for her, as she ran through her the mountain tunnels of her home. When the morning came it came with a knock on the door, soft at first like the person on the other side was trying to be polite, and the great bangs like someone was trying to chop it down with-  
  
"An axe! GIMLI STOP IT! I'M AWAKE!" Melyanna gasped as she bolted up right from her dreams throwing the covers off herself she jumped up throwing a robe about her as she ran to the huge oak double doors. She threw them open at the same time to revel not only Gimli but Legolas, and Boromir as well. A quick glance at the door on the right told her that had she been asleep any longer he would have been threw the door.  
  
"See I told, you that would get her up." Gimli said pushing past her.  
  
"Come right in I was just going to throw on some cloths and make myself look presentable." Said clutching the robe a little closer and pushed back her hair. Legolas blushed and Boromir looked at the ceiling. "Well since your all here get in." She shoved the two men in the room and shutting the door.  
  
"So Gimli whens the council? I assume that's the reason for you almost turning that door into kindling?" She plopped down onto her bed and began to comb her hair with one of the provided brushes.  
  
"In an hour." Legolas answered for him not looking at her, his cheeks still had a faint blush to them.  
  
"And the kindling was not our idea." Boromir added.  
  
"Oh sure, sure," She waved walking over to the wardrobe to get some pants and a clean tunic. "You know it is the most romantic thing in the world for a man to come into a woman's room by chopping down the door. I'll just be a sec." She walked into the washroom and closed the door. As she did she could have sworn she herd Legolas say, "It is?"  
  
At that moment Aragorn passed by Melyanna's door and noticed the sizeable hole in it. He pulled out his sword and kicked the door open, it should have worked too, except that the wood was thin and his foot went through it causing his foot to get stuck and the momentum of his kick drug both him and the door inward. So he lay there spread-eagled his foot caught in the door, sword unsheathed and the wind knocked out of him.  
  
"Where--" He coughed and tried to pull his foot out of the door. "Where is Lady Melyanna and why is there a hole in the door?"  
  
"I am right here." Melyanna said coming out of the washroom tying her belt in a knot, "And as to that hole what can I say I'm a heavy sleeper." She shrugged and walked over to pull him out of the door. She grabbed his shoulders and with one great heave he was out, they flew back because Melyanna had misjudged the strength of the door, the hit Boromir and knocked him over, because he was stepping forward to help.  
  
"Argh, Mel you way a ton." Boromir grunted from underneath her.  
  
"Thanks a lot oh, gentleman of Gondor. You know that weight it not all me." Mel said struggling under the weight of the man who had previously been stuck in the door.  
  
"That's most not all." Gimli said helping the man up.  
  
"So what's your name." She asked getting up, but not before sticking her elbow into Boromir's gut.  
  
"Strider." He said without heisting, Legolas seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief. Melyanna didn't believe that, that was the man's real name of course he said it too easy and was too pleased with it, because lets face it we all have pet peeves with our names.  
  
"If you insist." She shrugged.  
  
"And I do." His voice had a warning edge to it, so Mel decided that it wasn't worth the risk, she'd find out his name at the council most likely.  
  
Boromir stepped between the two and said to Mel, with out taking his eyes if Strider for a second. "If you are ready Mel, I will escort you to where the council will be held."  
  
"Um, okay that'll be fine." Mel answered slightly shocked at the ice in his voice.  
  
"And we will go with you!" Gimli said pulling Legolas forward. "I still don't trust men."  
  
"Am I asking you to?" Boromir asked innocently.  
  
"No. But hell if I'll leave you two alone, me and the elf are coming." He barged out the door with Legolas in tow, glaring at Boromir as he went past.  
  
"Lady." Boromir said bowing and extending his arm towards the door. Mel walked daintily foreword at first but when she got with in reach of him, she bent down so that she could see his face.  
  
"I told you," She said, "no Lady!" and with that Mel pushed him (literally!) out the door. "Strider." She nodded. "Perhaps I will learn you real name at the council." And then she too walked out of the door, stepping over Boromir.  
  
*******An hour later at the council*********  
  
(A/N: I am going to screw around the seating arraignments) (A/N: Watch the movie the one sitting to the right of Legolas is Steve.)  
  
Melyanna was sitting with Gimli on her right side and Boromir on her left as a barrier between the two races, Legolas would have liked to sit with them but was required to sit with his race.  
  
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old...." Elrond began standing up so he'd gain everyone's full attention. "You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall." He sat back down and looked expectantly around him. "Frodo bring forth the Ring."  
  
Frodo got up slowly and cautiously crept forward to place the Ring on the stone pedestal. His blue eyes where aglow with fear and, something else.  
  
"So it is true.....The doom of men.....It is a gift." Boromir whispered, then his voice grew louder. "A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this ring?" Melyanna groaned and put her face in her hands. Boromir! Don't! She wailed mentally. Suddenly Boromir stood up and walked toward the pedestal like he was being pulled on a rope. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy. Let us use it against him!"  
  
Melyanna glanced around the elves had various expressions of disgust on their faces, including but not limited to Legolas. The dwarves had smirks of you-don't-know-what-your-doing on their faces. But the humans nodded their approval, all of them except for Strider, who seemed to be angry at the thought of such a ludicrous idea. He stood up and glared at Boromir, Melyanna tensed with slight anger at the sight of him, if he was going to ridicule her friend then she was going to have some say in it, even if he was wrong.  
  
"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." Strider said walking towards him.  
  
"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" Boromir asked sneering, his face almost looked like the dwarves. Then Legolas was up. Melyanna was about to spring up too thinking that Legolas was going to Boromir's defense, but she was wrong. "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Melyanna sank back into her chair, surprised at this, Boromir also seemed surprised but only for a moment, he quickly masked it.  
  
"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?"  
  
"And heir to the throne of Gondor!"  
  
Aragorn tensed, it was clear to Melyanna that he did not want this information out. "Havo dad, Legolas (Sit down, Legolas)" Legolas did.  
  
Boromir glared at Legolas and then at Aragorn, but the gaze the ranger suffered was much harsher. "Gondor has no king; Gondor needs no king."  
  
As Boromir sat down, Gandalf spoke, "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."  
  
Elrond nodded his agreement, "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."  
  
Mel, suddenly felt Gimli stiffen next to her, Oh no please gods no, don't let him do anything stupid.  
  
Suddenly Gimli was up he grabbed an axe and growled, "Then what are we waiting for..." then he rushed forward and struck the Ring. There was a blinding flash as the axe exploded, and Gimli, flew back.  
  
I don't understand it. Gimli's blows can break diamonds! Mel thought as she jumped foreword, and helped Gimli up. He too was astonished that he didn't even dent the small golden ring.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked hoisting him up, "That was a fool thing to do."  
  
"Aye I know, and I am fine just got the wind knocked out of me." He said getting back into his seat.  
  
Elrond sighed in exasperation, "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this."  
  
Everyone was silent. Then Boromir looked up, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and," He held up his hand in a circle shape to indicate what he was saying. "Great Eye is ever-watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!" He shook his head and chuckled under his breath.  
  
Then Legolas was up again, Mel was a bit disturbed by the anger that Legolas was showing, sure he might get angry at Boromir for saying the fool things he was saying, but surely, he must realize that Boromir knew not of what he spoke."Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed."  
  
Gimli not wanting to be out done by and elf jumped to his feet and yelled angrily. "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?"  
  
Melyanna was so confused, why were these people being so, foolish about the Ring, all they had to do was throw it in a volcano and be done with it. Then she was aware that Boromir had begun to yell again.  
  
"And what if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"  
  
Then Gimli was yelling, totally disregarding what Boromir had said, for his old dislike for the elves. "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf. Never trust an elf!"  
  
That got everyone started, everyone started to yell, and then Mel herd an elf comment on how rude the dwarves where and the got Mel started.  
  
"And what would you know of the dwarves?"  
  
"More than you my dear child." He sneered.  
  
"Oh but I do disagree," Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I was raised by them."  
  
"That would explain your, rude unlady-like manner, everyone knows dwarves are greedy, self-centered, short-" He didn't get a chance to finish. That last comment was too far, so Mel thought if he wants to act like a man, then I'm going to treat him like one, and she punched him in the nose. Gimli recognized the sound of crunching bone, and wheeled to see his sister hunched over a tall elf, with an extremely bloody nose. He lunged and caught his sister before she could do it again.  
  
"I will take the ring!" Mel herd and apparently everyone else had too, they all turned to see the little hobbit Frodo, standing straight and tall, "Though... I do not know the way."  
  
Gandalf stepped forward. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."  
  
Aragorn walked over to them. "If, by my life or death, I can protect you, I will. You have my sword!"  
  
Legolas came forward, "And you have my bow."  
  
Then Gimli, "And my axe."  
  
Mel walked forward slowly, "You are far more braver than I would have ever expected Frodo, you have whatever skills I posses at your disposal." There was a murmur from some of the elves but noticing that one of their members was currently nursing a bloody nose no one would object.  
  
Then just as slowly Boromir came up from behind her. "You carry the fate of us all, little one." He said looking down at him, though not unkindly. "If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."  
  
"'Ere! Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!" Said the hobbit Sam jumping out of the bushes.  
  
Elrond looked bewildered and sank back into his chair a little bit more. "No, indeed. It is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."  
  
Then even more hobbit came out from behind the pillars. "Hey! We're comin' too!" Pippin yelled. As they rushed by, Elrond looked shocked that they could have been there the whole time and no one had noticed.  
  
"You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." Merry crossed his arms rebelliously and set his jaw.  
  
Pippin nodded, "Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission..... quest....thing."  
  
Merry looked blankly at his cousin, "Well that rules you out Pip."  
  
Pippin once again nodded and then seemed to take in what he had said and did a double take.  
  
"Ten companions." Elrond said survaying the company. "So be it. You shall be The Fellowship of the Ring"  
  
"Right," Pippin said, "Were are we going?"  
  
"Argh! Pippin!" Melyanna exclaimed.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Well thank you, Boromir, I am proud of my right hook you know." Mel laughed and punched Boromir playfully in the arm, they along with their escort Gimli and Legolas where walking towards the stables.  
  
"I still say you shouldn't have hit him." Legolas grumbled to himself, knowing that no one agreed with him.  
  
They had just reached the stable door when, the same group of handmaidens that had chased Melyanna before appeared but this time the leader was carrying a package. Mel glance and the bushes behind her quickly and judged how long it would take her to get there.  
  
"Mistress Melyanna," The leader spoke. "We have made you a gift for your journey, we caught you long enough to get your measurements and made you this." She held out the package.  
  
"Its not a dress is it?" She cautiously crept forward.  
  
"Oh heavens no!" She exclaimed, "That wouldn't be practical!"  
  
"It wouldn't?"  
  
"No, no, no, we made you a traveling monks robe. It isn't safe for a woman on the road these days." She handed the bundle to Melyanna.  
  
"A traveling monks robe."  
  
"Yes, it will conceal you identity most excellently and it is made out of some of the finest fabrics, mind you it looks like wool, but breaths better, and is not so uncomfortable. I don't see how humans can wear that stuff it's too rough." Boromir coughed loudly at this.  
  
"Er, thank you, thank you very much." Mel said sheepishly, "This is an excellent gift."  
  
"You are quite welcome." The group of elves departed, leaving a blank looking Melyanna.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! REVIEW!!! 


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